Mommy Dearest
Guys, gonna be honest. This one got away from me. Never fear, it is not the last we see of Eleanor even if she is not the entire chapter!
That is all. Enjoy.
The rest of the evening was far more subdued. While they had originally planned on putting the girls to bed, Kate had flat out refused to let them put her down. It didn’t matter who it was, but whenever they tried to put her in bed she screamed and cried until they were holding her again. Logically, they knew they should not be letting her get her way but given the circumstances they felt a little leeway was necessary for the evening. Hunkering down in the living room, they put on the Aristocats and let that lull the toddler to sleep. Yelena managed to make it to the end, loving the antics of the cats before she found herself unable to keep her eyes open. Clint scooped them both up, Natasha and Wanda close behind as he gently settled them in their own beds, making sure they had a stuffie each to cuddle with. Kate stayed asleep, barely twitching when she received her kisses good night. Yelena stirred a bit, one eye opening blearily at Natasha.
“Tasha?” she mumbled.
“Yes, sestra?”
“I sleep with Kate? In case she gets scared,” Yelena asked, already sitting up and holding her arms out.
Natasha felt her heart melt as she nodded, moving Yelena to Kate’s bed and watching the small blonde carefully spoon the tiny brunette. Kate grumbled and stretched a little bit but didn’t wake, tiny snores starting to sound. Yelena hugged her close before falling back asleep, neither girl noticing the adults snapping pictures as they left the room, leaving the door cracked a bit so they could listen if needed. As for them, they all shuffled back into the living room to discuss the next day.
“Melina, you and Alexei need to keep Yelena entertained. We will both be with Kate, maybe Clint too, and you know Yelena is going to be worried. If you can both keep her distracted, I would appreciate it,” Natasha told them, looking them both in the eyes to show how serious she was.
“Of course, my big girl. We will do what is needed,” Melina agreed.
“Or, the hawk man can stay and I go with you. Just to make sure it all goes well,” Alexei offered with a look of faux innocence.
“Oh, please. More like so you can take a part of Bishop,” Wanda snorted, seeing through the act.
“I mean, only if necessary,” Alexei grumbled petulantly.
“I appreciate it, but we don’t need any bloodshed. At least, not while Kate is with us,” Natasha said tiredly.
“Get some rest, darling, we will ready for you when you get up,” Melina said gently, ushering her away along with Wanda.
“Yeah, I’ll head to my room and come back up in the morning. Laura should be here around when we get back, got word from her a little while ago. I think she’ll do Kate a world of good,” Clint said as he stood, stretching with a grunt as his back popped.
“Thanks, old man,” Wanda teased.
“Hush, child. Respect your elders,” he shot back, throwing them a lazy wave as he left.
Falling asleep surprisingly didn’t take long for any of them, although Natasha found herself woken in the night by a tug on comforter. Her eyes cracked open, blinking a bit to clear before she saw the tiny head of dark hair trying to climb onto the bed. Kate looked up at her with watery eyes, sniffling slightly as she tried to pull herself up.
“Hey, baby. Want to sleep with us?” she asked, sitting up slightly to lift Kate onto her lap.
“Lena still sleeping, but I scared,” Kate whimpered.
“It’s ok, honey. It’s ok,” Natasha soothed, cradling her close.
They stayed that way for a few minutes, Kate relaxing as they cuddled. Natasha kept a hand under her to hold her up, noticing her diaper was heavy.
“Let’s go get a change, yeah? Then we can get Yelena and all sleep in the big bed,” Natasha said, carefully standing before heading back to the girl’s room.
Kate just nodded, already dozing back off. Natasha made sure to stay quiet as she made her way to the changing table, gently setting Kate down to change her. Kate found a stray pacifier on the table part, reaching up and grabbing it before sucking away. Natasha laughed slightly under her breath at this, cleaning her up thoroughly before putting the cream on. Kate had soiled herself slightly, but depending on if she had woken up from a nightmare it made sense. Kate had dozed off again, little fists up by her head as she slept. A small rustling behind her made Natasha look up, seeing Yelena sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“Tasha? What you doin’?” she asked.
“Changing Kate, she came to our room and I was going to take you both to the big bed,” Natasha told her with a smile.
“Yay, big bed!” Yelena grinned sleepily as she grabbed a couple of toys for them before sliding down to the floor.
Natasha chuckled again as she wiped her hands clean before redressing Kate, making sure she was all set before lifting her up. Reaching one hand out to Yelena, they made their way into the main bedroom and she let the girls get settled before sliding in. Wanda watched them with lidded eyes, a small smile on her face as she let them get comfortable before wrapping an arm around them to hold all three close to her. They all fell back into sleep soon after, not waking up until FRIDAY let them know they needed to start getting ready. Wanda could smell something cooking, knowing Melina must be awake. She gently woke Natasha and the girls, lifting Kate up when she whined and held her hands out for a cuddle. She cradled her against her chest as she went to change her, giving Kate her pacifier once she was laid down. Kate sucked sleepily as she was cleaned, grumbling a bit when she was dressed in soft black legging with a black bear hoodie over it, the hood having small ears and the sleeves had little paws at the end. Setting Kate on the bed, she brushed her hair and made two small French braids before grabbing two pairs of shoes.
“Light up shoes or sandals, Kate?” Wanda asked, trying to engage the sleepy toddler.
“Light up,” Kate mumbled, yawning slightly as she rubbed her eyes.
“I know it’s early, sweetie. We can take a nap when we get home, ok?” Wanda soothed, putting socks on before getting her shoes put on.
Kate didn’t respond, fidgeting with the end of her hoodie nervously as she sucked on her passy. Wanda placed a kiss on her head before lifting her up for a hug, rocking her a moment before heading for the kitchen. Natasha and Yelena were there, Yelena dressed in jeans and a t shirt as she helped set the table. Her eyes lit up when she saw Kate, dropping the plate on the table before scurrying over to them. Kate reached down to her, wiggling to be set down so she could hug Yelena. Yelena squeezed her happily before taking her hand and leading her to her high chair.
“We gots lots of good stuff! Mama made eggs and French toast and Daddy cut up all the fruit! But he didn’t put any melon in it cause that’s yucky so it’s only the good kind,” Yelena told her as she clambered into her own seat while Melina got Kate settled.
“Yay,” Kate mumbled, still grumpy from lack of sleep and the anxiety of having to see her mother soon.
“Well, hopefully you like the food better,” Melina snorted as she put a plate on the tray for her.
Kate just poked at her food, taking a few bites when urged but overall just moving it around. Even Yelena trying to get her to eat didn’t have much effect, she took a few of the offered bites but after some of those she started to push it away. The adults didn’t push her, knowing her anxiety was skyrocketing and this was a battle they didn’t want to start. Hopefully she would eat more at lunch when they got home. Once everyone had eaten, Yelena hugged Kate goodbye as they got ready to leave.
“Don’t worry about things here, my big girl. We will take care of it. I’m sure Yelena will want to help us get the place cleaned up for you all before you get back,” Melina hinted with a smile, Yelena nodding hard next to her.
“Thanks Mom, we should be back by lunch. We may make a pitstop on the way back, just depends on how it goes,” Natasha said, hugging Melina before crouching down to hug Yelena.
“We’ll get the place all clean for you! And Kate,” Yelena promised, hugging her tight before moving away.
Kate sniffled slightly as Clint picked her up, resting her head miserably against his shoulder as she silently cried. She knew this place was too good to be true. Mommy and Daddy always made the nice people leave. Clint rubbed her back as they made their way to the elevator, Wanda making sure to snag the diaper bag on their way out. Kate stayed limp as they got her loaded into the car, only moving to hug Rexie when it was handed to her but still not talking. They made their way to the prison with light conversation, all of them trying to engage her to no avail. By the time they pulled up to the prison, she was almost completely shut down emotionally. It only took them a few moments to get through security, the guard leading them to a private room where they would wait for Eleanor.
“Kate, I promise you nothing is going to happen. You will see your mother and then we will all go home, or maybe go do something fun, okay? Whatever you want to do,” Wanda promised, taking Kate’s tiny hand in her own.
Kate didn’t respond, barely noting the words as she felt her fear get higher and higher. Trying to keep herself calm, she hugged Rexie close as the door finally opened. Eleanor walked in with her head held high, despite the orange prison garb she was wearing. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing her daughter as a toddler, but other than that she showed nothing. Moving to the table, she took a seat as the guard undid her cuffs.
“Thirty minutes, Bishop, that’s it,” he told her before leaving the room.
They stared back at each other in silence for a few moments before Eleanor spoke.
“Well, seems I was told the truth. She’s back to being a child. How did this happen?” she asked coldly.
“That is not your concern. We are taking care of her, and you get to see her. What do you want?” Wanda snapped, eyes just as cold as she glared at her.
“I have the right to see my daughter, especially when she managed to get into this state. And look at how much she has forgotten, not even greeting her own mother,” Eleanor snapped, giving Kate a pointed look.
“Hi, Mommy,” Kate said softly, face ducked down to avoid her eyes.
“Mother, Kate. You are too old to still be saying Mommy,” Eleanor said.
“Yes, Mudder,” Kate whimpered.
“MOTHER, Kate. God, I forgot how stupid you were at this age,” Eleanor huffed, rubbing her temple.
“She is NOT stupid, you useless cow. She is so smart, especially for a barely three year old,” Clint growled.
“Oh really? My, my mistake. It’s not as though I raised her. Oh wait, I did,” Eleanor laughed.
“Raised is one word, although you hardly did that the first time,” Natasha noted calmly.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’ve seen her records. We’ve seen a few memories. I remember how you were when she was her normal age. You may have “raised” her, but you were not a parent. No proper parent sends their child to the ER, dozens of times at that, or breaks their toddlers arm. You disowned Kate for dating my sister, you almost had her killed because of your involvement with Fisk, you even tried to have the Tracksuits take her out. So no, we are going to show her what having a proper home means and consider this the last time you will be seeing her,” Natasha said almost conversationally.
“How dare you? She is MY CHILD! And she will not be staying with you,” Eleanor snapped.
It all happened faster than anyone could think possible. Eleanor lunged forward, snatching Kate by her cast and dragging her across the table. Kate let out a scream of pain, her arm throbbing before she was pulled back in a wave of red. Natasha caught her gently, holding her close as Clint shoved Eleanor away before Wanda pinned her to the wall with her magic. Her eyes were blazing red as she snarled at the older woman, her magic encasing her hands.
“HOW DARE YOU?! You touch MY Kate, someone we all care for deeper than you can ever fathom! I should drop your mind in the deepest pits of darkness for the rest of your life!” Wanda hissed, noting with satisfaction how Eleanor’s eyes widened.
“You will never have contact with Kate. You will never take her from us. If you try, and I find out, you will be wishing you had never been born. Now we are leaving, and be glad I am being… reasonable,” Wanda said with a deadly calm before turning on her heel to the others.
Clint was looking at her with wide eyes while Natasha. Well, her woman had always loved her more dominant displays, as evidence by the lust in her eyes. Kate was sobbing in her arms, burrowed as deep as she could in Natasha’s chest. Wanda felt her heart clench as she came forward, relief filling her when Kate reached out for her. She cradled her close, keeping a stern eye on Eleanor as she swept out of the room.
“Sir? Ma’am’s? You still have about 15 minutes left of your time,” the guard said hesitantly as he approached them.
“That won’t be necessary. We will not be back, please take us off of the call list. Thank you,” Natasha said pleasantly as they gathered their things and left.
Kate continued to sob as they got back to the car, whining when she was put back in her seat and arching her back to try and not be buckled in. She even kicked her feet against the back of the seat, pushing against it so they couldn’t have her sit. Clint took control of the situation, moving to sit Kate on the hood of the car and giving her a stern look.
“Kate, that is enough. I know that was upsetting, and you have every right to be but that does not excuse throwing a fit like this. You are going to sit here and calm down, then we are going to leave but only when you are calm. Understood?” he asked, watching as she took some hiccupping breaths before nodding.
Kate took a minute to get herself under control, slumping slightly under his grip as she looked up at him. She had a deep pout as she rubbed her eyes.
“Sowwy,” she mumbled.
“It’s ok, Katie Bug. That was scary for you, but that isn’t a reason to throw a fit and be kicking the seat. Now you are going to sit on the curb for two minutes, and think about why we don’t kick like that when getting in the carseat,” Clint said, moving her to said curb and sitting her down on it.
Kate sniffled, pouting but staying put until her two minutes were up. When the timer went off, she looked up at them hopefully as Clint kneeled next to her, Wanda and Natasha standing behind him having let him take over the situation.
“Ok, Bug, can you tell me why you had a time out?” he asked gently, taking her hands in his.
“I kick and no let you do the straps,” she said while looking down.
“That’s right, what should you have done instead?”
“Talk and ask for no strap?” she asked hesitantly.
“That’s right! Good girl. Now, we have to have the straps so you can stay safe in the car but one of us will be in the back with you the whole time. We can hold your hand the entire time. Does that sound good?” he asked, making sure to praise her for doing right.
“Yeah, that good,” she answered, a small smile showing.
“Good. Now, is there anything you wanna do or do you want to go back home?” he asked.
“I still choose?” she asked, surprised she still had the option.
“Yes, you did your time out and talked about it with me. No more punishment needed,” he winked, face softening when she gave a bright grin.
“Store? Lena likes juice box!” Kate chirped, head tilting when they all started to laugh.
“You want to go to the grocery store? That’s it? We could maybe go to the toy store,” Natasha chuckled, smiling at her tiny charge.
“Not without Lena,” Kate protested.
“Ok, grocery store it is. We can get lunch while we’re out too. But first, give me a hug and then it’s time to go in your carseat,” Clint said, barely opening his arms in time for the tiny missile launching at him.
Kate went into her seat with no protest this time, visibly more relaxed knowing she wasn’t going anywhere else. Even with her pacifier now firmly in her mouth, she could barely stop smiling as they drove to the store. Natasha shot a text to Melina to ask if they needed anything, noting the few things she sent back before turning to Wanda.
“Yelena requested some fruit snacks for Kate. Seems these two are always thinking about the other no matter what age,” she said with a fond smile.
“Seems so. Hey Kate, do you want to go pick up Yelena first so she can come with us? Or would you prefer it be a surprise?” Wanda asked.
“Uprise!” she shouted, giggling happily.
“Close enough,” Wanda laughed, shaking her head as she looked to the road.
“Melina says we need some things from the cold sections. Kate, do you want to get something to eat first? That way it won’t go bad in the car. They have some café’s around the area we can get some food at before we go shopping. You didn’t really eat much breakfast and it’s almost lunch now. Do you want to eat?” Natasha asked, turning to look at Kate.
“Hungry,” she nodded, patting her belly.
“I bet, it’s been a while since you had anything. There’s a cute place around the corner, we can go there first and have an early lunch,” Wanda said as she turned down the street and found the parking garage.
Kate kicked her heels happily as they found a spot, wiggling so she could walk before trying to race out of the garage.
“Kate, wait!” Clint called, darting forward to snatch her.
“I fast!” she laughed, giving him a big grin around her paficier.
“Yes, you are. But you can’t just run off like that, cars come in and out of here and you could get hurt,” he told her, watching as she gave a confused frown.
“No road,” she pointed out, looking around the enclosed space.
“You’re right, it’s not a road and good job knowing you can’t run there. But cars come in here to park and they won’t always see you if you run out. So, make sure you hold one of our hands if you want to walk, ok?” he said firmly, wanting to make sure she understood.
“Otay,” she mumbled, looking down at her fingers. “I in trouble?”
“No, honey, you’re not in trouble. Just make sure you are holding our hands, ok? We don’t want you to get hurt,” he told her, tickling under her chin to make her giggle.
“You really are a great Dad,” Wanda noted, smiling at him as he set Kate down and held her hand firmly in his.
“I try. This is just Toddler 101 at this point. Now let’s go, I want some food,” he ordered, letting Kate pull him to the exit.
The café wasn’t far from the garage, although Kate would randomly pause at the store windows to make her shoes light up so she could laugh at the reflection so it took quite a bit longer than it should have. The adults all humored her, happy that her mood had lightened now that she knew she wasn’t leaving them. When they finally arrived, they opted to sit outside since the weather was so nice. It wouldn’t stay that way, so they would need to enjoy it while they could. The hostess was happy to bring out a highchair for them, obviously charmed by Kate’s shy hello and little wave.
“Well, hello to you too sweetie. I like your dinosaur, what’s his name?” she asked cheerfully, setting down some menus and a children’s menu with crayons.
“Her name Rexie. She’s a T Rex, rawr!” Kate said, happy to show off her dinosaur as she held it out for the hostess to see.
“Oh my, she looks quite ferocious!” the girl played along.
“It ok, she nice Rexie,” Kate told her, booping Rexie’s nose on her hand.
“Well, that’s good to hear. No worries, your server will be here soon. It was nice to meet you,” the hostess grinned before going back to her station.
“She nice,” Kate said, grabbing a crayon and starting to scribble on the paper.
“She was, but before you color do you want to see what they have?” Natasha asked, moving the paper over a bit and pointing to the pictures of food at the top.
“I pick?” Kate asked, a huge grin on her face as she gave a couple of happy bounces.
“Of course! Let’s see what they have,” Wanda smiled, moving to her other side so she and Natasha could explain her options.
It took a few minutes to look over, Kate thinking carefully over her options before picking the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Their server came over a moment later, apologizing for the wait before getting their orders. Kate even managed to wrangle a cup of chocolate milk, although she was warned that she only got one.
“Her mood is a lot better,” Clint said softly, watching as Kate scribbled over the paper.
“I think she knows now that she isn’t going anywhere. At least, I hope so. She seems to be attached to Natasha today, maybe because she can sense that she understands. My love is so amazing with her, she would be an amazing mother,” Wanda said happily, eyes soft as she watched Kate show Natasha her ‘art’.
“She is, I always told her she was amazing with kids but she never believed me. She just assumed my kids were the exception. I’m glad she is getting this chance,” Clint agreed, smiling innocently when Natasha gave him a side glare.
“She can hear you both,” Natasha sniffed, purposely turning away to keep coloring with Kate.
The other two laughed, and soon light conversation was going around the table, Kate occasionally interjecting to tell them or show them something. Their food came out shortly, Wanda helping Kate to dip her grilled cheese into the soup. Kate squealed in delight at the new development, happily dunking her little triangles in the soup and munching away. She pouted when her sandwich was gone, picking up her spoon and tapping Wanda on the arm.
“Help, please?” she asked, holding out her spoon.
“Sure thing, darling. Open up,” Wanda cooed, spooning a bit into Kate’s open mouth.
It didn’t take long for all of them to be finished, Kate leaning back with a sigh.
“Yummy catty,” she said, playing with the edge of the tablecloth.
“Catty?” Natasha asked, thanking the server when they came to take their dishes.
“Catty, you said we at a catty,” Kate told her, sipping the last of her chocolate milk.
“Café, sweet girl. But glad you liked it,” Natasha laughed, their server having overheard was chuckling as well.
“Tank you for yummy food,” Kate told them, giving them a shy smile.
“You are most welcome. Feel free to come again, we’d love to see you,” they said, handing over the bill and showing them how to pay at the table before leaving to their other tables.
The bill paid, they made their way over to the grocery store, Kate now happily in Wanda’s arms as it got closer to her nap time. Her belly now full, she was content to be held and suck her pacifier as they made their way inside. She let herself be placed in the cart, holding Rexie close as she looked around tiredly.
“Ok, little miss. You wanted to get Yelena some juice boxes. What kind should we get her?” Natasha asked, taking control of the cart and heading for the juice.
“Juice kind?” Kate asked, eyes getting a bit heavy as she watched the floor roll under them.
“Well, that narrows it down,” Natasha snorted, glancing down the aisle to find the boxes.
She rolled them over to the selections, quietly talking with her until they settled on fruit punch and apple juices boxes, getting a few cases of each since she knew half of the adults would take some as well.
Wanda and Clint had wandered off, grabbing a few things they knew they needed as Natasha worked on the things Melina had sent. Milk, cheese slices, ice cream, and bread. It didn’t take long for them to be done, although Kate let out a shriek as they passed the pillow section.
“Tasha, Tasha, look! Horsie pillow! Can we get it?” Kate asked, pointing happily at the shelf.
Sure enough, a small pillow with running horse on the front was there in the middle. Natasha smiled as she nodded, grabbing it and handing it off to Kate who eagerly cuddled it. She noticed a dog pillow on the shelf also, grabbing it when Kate wasn’t looking and hiding it in the cart. It wasn’t too difficult to do so, Kate was already dozing off as she rested against the pillow.
“Looks like it’s nap time,” a soft voice called behind her, Wanda moving toward her with some diapers and bath toys in her hands.
“It is, although this child I swear. She saw a pillow for Yelena and about lost her mind,” Natasha laughed, motioning for Clint to be quiet as he spotted them across the aisle.
“Someone’s out,” he noted, dropping a few toiletries in the cart.
“Yup, let’s pay and head home. I already let Mom know we were heading back soon and that Kate was likely going to be asleep so they know,” Natasha said, steering them to the self-check out.
Natasha and Clint worked to scan and bag everything, Wanda carefully moving Kate from the basket so she could rest against her. She made sure to grab Rexie so it wasn’t forgotten while Clint used the card from Tony to pay. Perk of a billionaire friend, they never really had to worry over money even if they didn’t actually need it. They easily got the few bags to the car, loading up and getting Kate settled before heading home. Kate stayed asleep the entire time, not even waking when they got her out of the car at the compound. The events of the day had exhausted her. Yelena was at the door when they got in, almost bouncing on her feet as she waited. She tried to stay quiet when she saw Kate asleep.
“She ok?” Yelena asked, wringing her hands nervously.
“She is, sestra, she’s just tired. She’s going to nap for a bit and then we can do something fun this afternoon. Are you tired? You can nap too, if you like,” Natasha offered, watching as Wanda took Kate to her room.
“Yeah, I’ll nap with Kate,” Yelena agreed, darting off without another word.
Wanda turned with a smile as Yelena came racing in, making sure to keep the blanket pulled back even though Kate was already settled in. She didn’t say anything, just lifted Yelena to the bed and letting her cuddle in with Kate before moving the blanket over them both. Yelena was soon asleep, obviously she had been running rampant with worry all morning and had worn herself out. She watched them a moment before leaving the room, keeping the door cracked open just in case.
“They asleep?” Natasha asked, turning from where she was putting the groceries away.
“Yup, I’m going to put the pillows away so Kate can surprise Yelena with it. She’s so excited over it. How was Yelena?” Wanda asked, hiding the pillows in the top cupboard as she looked over at Melina and Alexei.
“She was good, we played many games but she was very worried. We finally took her to the gym and let her run around on the mats for a while. Natasha, I should warn you, she saw the ballet bar. She wants to learn ballet and remembers you doing it when we were on the Ohio mission so she wants you to teach her,” Melina said tentatively, keeping a close eye on her oldest child.
Natasha froze, mind going blank for a second before hurtling to the memory of the Red Room. Wanda came to her, placing a grounding hand on her shoulder.
“You don’t have to, sweetheart. Even though she’s your sister you can say no,” Wanda soothed, drawing her into a hug.
Natasha stayed silent, taking a few deep breaths before moving away.
“We will see. I will try it, and if it’s too much I’ll stop,” Natasha said, deciding to take a wait and see approach for the moment.
“Very well. So, for now, we let them sleep and then see what the rest of the day brings,” Melina chimed in, moving to begin tidying the living room.
“Pretty much, let’s hope it isn’t too crazy,” Clint said before cringing.
“Well, it will be now. Good job, Hawkeye,” Natasha scoffed.
Good job indeed.